Immortal Beauty
by KaimelarTheDreamer
Summary: Sequel to It's Never Just the End. The spirits weren't done with her, or her guardian angel. Not in a long shot. She may no longer be the hero, but she will help heroes be heroes. She has slept for a very long time, now... it is time she helps her first hero and his friends, Yuma Tsukumo.
1. Chapter 1: Her Highness Awakens

**Okay, I am not 100% sure how long it is between Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, but for the sake of the story, it will be a couple hundred years. Especially because of all the technological advancements. Also the story will be about a year after Astral returns to Astral world after his duel with Yuma.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Her Highness Awakens

Yusei P.O.V.

I have no idea how I found this place, but I feel as if it was here for us... for this cave was illuminated by a strange, blue eerie glow that came from a small pond occupying the center. Natsumi lied on a stone altar to the far right of it, surrounded by blue roses that needed no soil, water, or sun to grow. They just naturally grew there, creating a bed of roses for my little sister. Between that and the Egyptian clothes that she wore, she appeared to be a sleeping goddess. Which she might as well have been, as well as me. Neither of us had aged a day since I fought with death, and neither of us needed food, water, or access to a bathroom. The wants felt natural and we still obeyed them, and I hadn't even realized they weren't they necessary until my "death". I had only been in that state for a few years, Natsumi had been like that for... almost two hundred now. Which is the reason for her Egyptian attire. It was the only thing that remained intact all these years. Her flowers would somehow manage to destroy any other outfit I might try.

Lately she had been stirring in her sleep. Only slight things like eyes squinting tight, a pinky twitching, but something major had started to happen in the last year. Her monsters had started to come out on their own and they filled the surrounding forest, scaring anyone who entered. I couldn't understand them, but they cried out at random times, almost like they were begging for her to return. I could only hope that this was a sign that she would soon awaken from her long slumber.

* * *

Yuma P.O.V.

"Sweet move, Bronk!" I yelled out to my best bud as his Tin Archduke destroyed my Achacha Archer, bringing my life points down to 2600.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Yuma!" He replied, looking ready to use a trap or spell he had lying on his field, but a large roar from the nearby forest shook the ground and scared the wits out of both of us.

"W-what was that?" Bronk stuttered.

"I-I don't know..." My mind flashed back to a story Tori told me, something that had happened to her recently. "Actually... I think I might know."

"What?"

"Tori went into that forest the other week with Cathy, looking for something, but about a quarter of a mile in, they came across a real, living Toon Summoned Skull, that what she claimed at least."

"Oh man."

"I didn't believe her until now, but my sister has also has been working on stories about real live duel monsters living in a forest."

"Just imagine how many monsters could be in there," Bronk commented fearfully, "I mean, Toon Summoned Skull is an ancient card. All of the copies have been put in a museum. If a monster that old is wandering the forest, who knows what could be in there."

"Not all the copies were placed in a museum." A voice spoke from behind us. We turned to see Shark standing behind us.

"Hey, Shark! How's it going?" I called out.

"There is one copy they never found, they also never found one Toon World magic card and one Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon they never found. All of these cards belonged to the same person who was last known to use Toon Summoning and Toon Monsters." He continued, ignoring my greeting.

"Who?" Bronk asked.

"Natsumi Calico. Her body, deck, dueling disk, and duel runner went missing the day she was reported dead, along with her adopted brother's. His grave appeared to have been dug up... from the inside." He finished spookily.

"Hey, how do you know so much about this?" I pouted.

"Maybe because I actually pay attention in class instead of showing up late or snoozing through it!" He snapped.

"And how is this relevant to monsters in the forest?" Bronk questioned.

"It isn't, it just annoys me when people can't get their facts straight."

"No wonder why Yuma annoys you so much."

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, Yuma." Bronk replied.

"What's a duel runner?" He had mentioned it earlier, but I had no clue what that was.

"A duel runner is something that duelist would ride as they dueled during the days of Yusei Fudo, Natsumi Calico, and Jack Atlas. It was called turbo dueling, but it eventually went out of style due to the extra danger that was involved. While in the duel, an attack could cause a duelist to lose control and crash, and at the end, the loser's dueler runner would shut down and lock the wheels, causing a stop that could also lead to a crash if not controlled correctly."

"Wow." Bronk and I said in unison.

A chorus of roars, screeches, and cries shook the ground, originating from the forest. Bronk's and my remaining monsters on the field twisted their heads in the direction of the forest, and once the noise had quieted, in an almost hopeful tone our monsters asked, "Our Queen?"

Even Shark looked startled at the strange phenomena.

"When can monsters speak?" Shark questioned in disbelief.

"I do not believe they can under normal circumstances." An old, but not forgotten voice commented.

I looked to see Astral suddenly appear right next to me.

"Astral!" I cried and I tried to hug him, but I ended up hitting the ground hard, forgetting that I couldn't touch him.

"I missed you too, Yuma." Astral responded calmly, with a soft smile on his face.

"What do you mean "normal circumstances"? What makes now not normal?" Shark asked as I got up and dusted myself off.

"I do not know, but a strange powerful spike of energy occurred. One that Astral World has not detected for well up to 200 years. They are quite similar, except this more recent one appears even more powerful, but both, even the one from 200 years ago, are remaining steady and constant."

"And you think this is the cause of the monsters talking?" Shark continued.

"Yes, one of the elders believe it might be that the most powerful of all monsters has awoken, the ruler of all monsters."

"What about the older spike in energy?" Bronk asked.

"It was too long ago to know what the beings of Astral World thought of it, but we currently believe it may be the ruler's knight or protector. I was sent to investigate exactly what they are. Also, I had spent the most amount of time on Earth and I have connections."

"You mean Yuma?" Shark asked sarcastically.

"How's that a bad thing?" I questioned Shark.

"It's a bad thing because-" Shark suddenly stopped, staring at something behind me, staring at the forest.

I turned around to see a woman, who was obviously distraught, storm out of the forest followed by a man who ran to catch up with her. He quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her to face him. The four of us were quick to sneak towards them, hiding behind a sign that warned of wildfires.

"I want to see them again, Yusei! I want to see Jesse, Mimi, Kenshin, Sakura, Yuki, Jack, Crow, Akiza, and everyone else again! I want to die! Why can't they just let me die?! I've already completed my destiny!" The woman cried. Her hair was long and golden, she wore strange clothing, and strange gold marks and scars decorated her body. Her outfit consisted of a white tube top with gold lining and a long, flowing white skirt with golden trimming on the waistline and a pair of sandals. There was a deck holder strapped to her right thigh.

"I know." The man, Yusei, replied, pulling the taller woman into his arms. She bent her head down so she could bury her head in his shoulder. "I felt the same way for a while, but the spirits urged me to get you before you were buried too. I still feel the same way, but what if we are here for a reason? Death told me that you still had much to give to the world." He wore a strange outfit as well. He was wearing a long-sleeved blue jacket with a high collar and amber gems, over a sleeveless black shirt with a red symbol, and wears gloves below his elbows with an amber gem on them, black jeans with amber knee pads, a belt with two Deck holsters, and calf-high motorcycle boots.

"I don't want to give any more, Yusei! I've given enough, don't you think? I just want to see my husband, my children, my grandchildren, my great grandchildren, and my friends again." She sobbed into his shoulder.

"You have given so much, Natsumi." Yusei assured her.

Bronk, Shark, and I exchanged glances. Yusei and Natsumi, Natsumi and Yusei. Coincidence? I think not.

Astral noticed our exchanged glance and having not been present for that conversation asked, "Why are you exchanging glances?"

Natsumi and Yusei whipped around and saw us peaking from behind the poster board. We hid behind it.

"Crap! Yuma, I thought only a few people could see and hear Astral." Shark commented harshly.

"I thought so too."I agreed, scared of the people who talked about death as if it were an actual person and saying that they wish they were dead. I mean, how much more depressing and creepy can you get?

"Yusei, why am I dressed like a freaking Egyptian?!" She shouted. "Those kids just saw me with barely anything on!"

"You just noticed?! After storming through the forest, in that outfit, you just barely noticed?!" Yusei retorted.

"Well, I was just trying to get over the fact that I took a two hundred year long nap instead of dying peacefully in my sleep to go see my loved ones!"

"Aren't I one of your loved ones?!"

"Of course, you idiot! Now why am I freaking dressed like an Egyptian?!"

"What's an Egyptian?" I whispered to Shark.

"Pay attention in class and you might know, and right now isn't exactly the right time to discuss that." He hissed.

"Because your roses tore everything else apart!"

"How do flowers destroy clothing?!"

"I don't know! They're your freaking flowers! I didn't plant them! They weren't already there! I just laid you down on the altar and they magically bloomed around and underneath you!"

"I think it is time we stepped in." Astral commented.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because we are the ones who were eavesdropping and turned their "them" time into a fight."

"Ugh, fine." I pouted.

The four of us stepped out from our hiding place and the arguing pair stopped instantly. They looked torn between intimidating us with hard glares or trying to laugh the whole thing off, causing them to have a weird scowl/grimace on their face.

"Sorry if we interrupted anything-" Astral began, since they obviously could hear him.

Natsumi waved it off and gave a goofy smile and laughed, "Oh, you didn't interrupt anything! My brother and I are just filming for a school history project. It's based off of what a historical figure(s) would do if they were still around."

"Really? Sounds awesome! Send me the link when you're done!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, the only idiot who would fall for that is Yuma." Shark commented flatly.

"Whaaat? You mean this isn't for a history report?"

"Yuma..." Astral sighed.

Both historical figures had fallen into stern and cold expressions, their bodies matching their grim faces. Even I could tell that they were debating on what to do with us. The air was filled with so much nervousness and tension you could only cut it with a butcher's knife.

"H-hey, if it makes you feel any better, we promise not to tell anyone." Bronk offered nervously.

"I think I know of a way we can make sure you are not lying." Natsumi commented grimly.

"What?" I asked.

"Don't do it, Natsumi." Yusei discouraged.

"Nin-Ken Dog, come out and serve your queen." She commanded.

Four stars shot out from her deck and shined brightly. All of a sudden and dog/human ninja thing was kneeling in front of her.

"It has been too long, my highness. How may I serve you?" It questioned with reverence.

"Even though you have metamorphosed, you still have the abilities of a dog, right?"

"Yes, mi'lady."

"So, could your nose detect if someone was lying? Or at least judge their sincerity?"

"If that is what you wish."

"It is. Smell these humans as they vow to secrecy, and whatever that glowy, floaty fellow is."

"As you wish."

We each vowed not to reveal their existence without their permission, including Astral, though the dog/man/ninja looked kind of perplexed as he sniffed Astral. When the dog/man/ninja sniffed me, it felt very real. The cold, wet nose was no projection.

"Wait a second, are you the reason the forest has become full of monsters that are real?"I asked.

Natsumi looked confused and was about to answer when Yusei spoke first.

"Yes, it was her." He confirmed to us and then turned to Natsumi. "A few months ago you started to summon monsters from your deck in your sleep. I could do nothing to stop them, but they didn't cause any casualties, they just chased away anyone who entered the forest."

Natsumi still looked torn, but pushed it aside and turned to her monster.

"Their results?"

"All of them told the truth. None intend to betray you. The floating one smells very strange however."

"Makes sense," She shrugged, "I'm guessing he's either an alien or a being from another dimension. I don't sense that a monster named Astral exists."

"So, you can make monsters become real?" Astral questioned.

"Technically, monsters already exist in the Duel Monsters Spirit World, I just make them physically exist in our world." She explained.

"What are we going to do, Natsumi?" Yusei asked. "We can't stay in that cave forever, but we have no way of sustaining ourselves in this world."

"You can stay at my place!" I exclaimed.

"Yuma, shouldn't you ask your parents first?" Astral asked.

"Oh, yeah."

* * *

 **Sorry for the weird ending, but I had to stop or I would go on forever. Please be patient with me on updates. I am on winter break, but I am writing two other stories, one is on a different account, and I also am working on writing a book that I will hopefully have published before I graduate high school. Point is, I have a buttload of stuff to worry about even when I am not on vacation, so please have** **patience.**


	2. Chapter 2: New Tenants

**Hey, guys! Good news is... I'm not dead! Bad news... it's been over a year since my last update. Sorry to any of you have been waiting. I know I hate it when an author does this, but at the same time it makes me super happy when they FINALLY update. Hope you guys enjoy and that I haven't lost my passion for this series (The series I'm writing. Don't worry, I still love Yu-Gi-Oh!).**

* * *

Chapter 2: New Tenants

Yuma P.O.V.

Sneaking throughout town with two strangely dressed people who were historical figures and immortal was so not easy. We would've bought them clothes, but not only did I doubt that they made clothes for people as tall as Natsumi, we didn't have any money with us, even Shark. Despite this, we somehow made it to my house without getting spotted.

I turned to Natsumi and Yusei before we entered and said, "My Mom and Dad probably will recognize you guys on the spot, they are adventurers and history nerds, but I'm pretty sure they'll promise to keep you guys a secret. My grandma too, and Kari probably will too if Mom and Dad tell her to."

Natsumi and Yusei nodded, and we proceeded to tip toe into my house. We didn't want Kari catching the scent of a news story without my Mom and Dad being able to be able to put a stop to it. I went in first followed by Yusei, Natsumi, Shark and then Bronk. I hear a solid thud behind me and a female voice crying out "ow!". I look back to see a hanging light swinging back and forth and Nastumi rubbing her forehead.

"Tori, is that you? Did you stub your toe on that loose floor board again? I keep on telling Yuma's dad that he needs to fix it, but he's told me he's busy studying an artifact from the Turbo Dueling era." My mother's voice asked from the kitchen, its sound gradually growing closer. My mom came to the hallway to the front door. She looked shock at the collection of people standing there.

"Your friends do know that Halloween passed a few months ago, right Yuma?" She asked.

"Well, it's nice to know that Halloween is still around." Natsumi muttered.

"Still around?" My mom questioned, a curious and hopeful expression on her face.

"Mom, I'd like to introduce to you, the real deals, the brother and sister of the Turbo Dueling era, Nastumi Calico and Yusei Fudo."

"Yuma?"

"Yeah, Mom?"

"You're not joking, right?"

"No way! These people are the real deal!"

"I-I don't know how it's possible… but if Yuma says it's true it's gotta be."

"You're going to accept it, just like that?" Natsumi questioned, sounding skeptical.

"Yuma, his father, and I have seen some strange things in our life time, his friends too. You kind of get used to having to accept the weird and crazy after a while." She replied. "Now, come on in and take a seat in the living room. I've got so many questions to ask you, and I'm sure my husband does too."

"Yo, Natsumi, Yusei, you guys cool with me calling some friends over and inviting them for this chat?" I asked once we were comfortably sitting in the living room. Well, most of us were. Natsumi looked like she was tempted to switch spots with me and sit on the floor instead. She was leaned full back in the couch and her knees were still higher than her hips. Guess being tall has its problems.

"How many?" Yusei questioned.

"Well, let's see. There's Rio, Tori, Cathy, Flip-"

Natsumi sighed. "You can only invite three more here and no one else can know. The more people that know the more likely that it will get out. I don't want historians, archeologists, and paparazzi all over our rear ends."

"In that case we should invite my sister, Tori and Cathy over. They're good at keeping a tight lip." Shark decided.

Footsteps thundered throughout the house. Mom must've finally found dad. It didn't take long for him to get to the living room and the moment he did, he was on Natsumi like me on duel fuel.

He touched the golden strip across her forehead. He whistled. "This is a legitimate mark. Did you know that this goes all the way to your skull? We have found many skeletons from your era that have golden markings left over from when they were alive."

The room echoed with a resounding slap as Natsumi slapped my father across the face. No one could blame her. A complete stranger getting close and touching your face is pretty uncomfortable.

My father quickly backed off. "Right, we just met. Sorry about that." He apologized with a grin, then a wince. A red mark in the shape of a hand had been left on his left cheek. He messaged his jaw. "That's quite a slap you got there."

Natsumi just glared at him.

The rest of my family quickly assembled and Rio, Tori, and Cathy were over on no time flat.

"So, why are we all gathered here? I asked Yuma over the phone, but he said to just come over." Tori grumbled.

"You'll see." I grinned, and leaned back, forgetting I had no back to lean on, and I frantically flailed my arms, but I still crashed on my back.

"I have a request." Natsumi started.

"Yes?" My father asked.

"A few actually. Me and my brother do not wish any of this to be made public, so we'd appreciate if you guys kept quiet about who we really are." She continued, eyeing my sister who had her notebook and pen ready to go. "Secondly, we need a place to stay seeing as we have no money and can't use our identities to buy a home for ourselves, and I've been sleeping in the forest for the past two hundred years, so I have no interest living there. Third, can you guys help us find jobs where we can use an alias? Fourth, obviously if we have no money for a home, we have no money for clothing or make up to hide our scars and marks. Can you help us there too?"

"Sure, we can keep you guys a secret." My mom agreed. "As for housing you guys, you would have to share the basement. Is that fine?"

They both nodded.

"As for jobs and clothes…"

"Oh! I know something perfect for you guys and I actually have connections there so I can get you jobs there with no questions asked. Plus, it'd be perfect for you!" My father piped up.

"What is it?" Yusei asked.

"Recently some history teachers quit at duel academy to teach at colleges and universities, and get this, two of them taught on the Turbo Dueling era."

"Sounds good." Natsumi agreed.

"Then I think we can manage on clothes and makeup. We'll have to order your clothes, Natsumi, but we can get both of you stuff more modern." My mom finished.

"Thank you. You can now question us." Natsumi permitted.

"How is it possible that you are still alive after all this time?" My dad questioned, getting serious. "I mean, you both lived past 100 according to your grave markers, and then you lived another two hundred to get to this time period. That makes both of you well over three hundred years old."

Tori's, Rio's, and Cathy's jaws dropped.

Yusei's face became grim and Natsumi's became dark and she snarled, "Because the spirits refuse to let us rest in peace. I thought my time of difficulty and strife was over when I settled down with Jesse and we had our children, and they had children, and their children had children. But Yusei and I never aged a day since we fought and defeated an old foe of mine. Our family members grew old and died. At one point we all believed Yusei was dead and he was buried, but in reality he was in a deep sleep. He remained there only until my supposed death and he took me and a few of my belongings to the forest where I have been sleeping for two hundred years. The spirits will not let us rest in peace and reunite with our families. For some reason, they refuse to."

"The spirits?" Tori questioned.

"Yes, I had to fight one named Death after my sister killed me in a Weapons Choice Duel for our two worlds and another one was in charge of my destiny, which I have completed but for some reason they still won't freaking let me die." She grumbled.

The questions went on and my parents found answers to some questions that had been unanswered for the longest time about their era.


	3. Chapter 3: First Day of School

Chapter 2: First Day of School

Tori P.O.V.

Yesterday still had my head spinning, but I needed to focus on school today and so I shook my head as I attempted to temporarily ignore it. Suddenly a red and blue blur zipped past me and on headed towards the staff parking lot. I wonder? No, it couldn't be. Not so soon.

I went into the staff parking lot, where many students had gathered. The two fast moving vehicles were duel runners, both a different model, but just as ancient as each other. The riders got off and removed their helmets. I recognized them. Their marks and visible scars had been covered. Natsumi's hair swished as she removed her helmet and I swear some boys started drooling and Yusei's hair bounced back after being released from his confinement. I know I saw some girls drop to the ground.

"Um, you do realize that this is staff parking only and that you need to be wearing your school uniforms and not that fancy get up?" A student piped up, mistaking them for upper class men.

Yusei was wearing a suit and tie while Natsumi wore a business suit, both were caring a satchel.

"We are staff members. We are your new teachers, Mrs. Tari Chikamoto and Mr. Yuki Fukumo. We teach Turbo Dueling era history here now."

"Is that why you're riding those ancient things?" Another student asked.

"No, they just happen to be our vehicle of choice." Yusei commented.

* * *

Chidori P.O.V.

Our new teacher, Mrs. Chikamoto, stood at behind her desk waiting for the bell to ring. She was tall, the tallest woman I had ever seen, and her blond hair was eccentrically long, like I had room to talk. I was on the tall side as well, but I never let my blond hair grow longer than my butt. Her icy gaze scanned the room and within the one second she looked in my direction, I feared for any trouble makers. Her gaze held the no nonsense kind of attitude and there was something that added to it, something I didn't know about, something frightening.

 _Riiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg_

"Okay class, settle down and please take a seat." Mrs. Chikamoto commanded. "As most of you know already, I am Mrs. Chikamoto. My brother and I are new teachers and are new to teaching in general, but we know quite a lot about the Turbo Dueling era. Now, I will call role. After I call your name, please give me one interesting fact about yourself and try to make it involve the Turbo Dueling era. For example, if there is a particular card or technique you like, if you know any ancestors that you have from the time period, if you had a favorite duelist from the time period, and etc."

It didn't take her very long to get to my name, and for some reason she seemed to choke a little when she called it.

"Chidori Cal-calico?"

"Present. An interesting fact about me is that I have an ancestor from the Turbo Dueling era who was quite the famous duelist as well as hero. Her name was Natsumi Calico, married to Jesse Calico, and the ancestor of many great duelists."

For a second her diamond hard gaze softened a little and a tear welled up in her eye, but she reverted to her hard expression so fast that I almost didn't believe I saw it. I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. My eyes landed on Tori who sat across the aisle from me. She gritted her teeth as if watching someone who made a dangerous error. She has seen it, and she knew why it had happened.

The rest of the class time went smoothly and the way Mrs. Chikamoto taught us the history, it was like she was there when it happened. The bell rang and everyone left for their next class.

"Hey, Chidori!" A friend of mine named Zula called out.

"What's up, Zula?"

"Nothing much, but that Mrs. Chikamoto is something else. I actually understood that lesson. Usually I don't get that signer stuff but I sure got it this time. Speaking of the new teach, she might just be your missing mom. I mean, you guys look almost exactly alike except your eyes are those famous Jesse royal blues."

I was about to say that I doubted it, but then I remembered her reaction to my name in class.

"Maybe, but my dad said I looked more like him than my mom, and besides I wouldn't want to talk to her. She walked out on me, my dad, and my little brother when I was three without any explanation." I replied firmly.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Shhh. I hear voices." Zula shushed.

"It's school, of course there are going to be voices."

"No, no, the kind of voices that don't won't to be heard." She whispered, putting a finger to my mouth.

Zula the gossip queen was at it again.

"-mi, you got to be careful. You could've blown it early if she had gotten curious." Tori lectured.

"I know," A voice sniffled, "But after all these years, who knew I would find one."

"Now don't start crying, you'll ruin your make up." She commanded gently.

I recognized the second voice as Mrs. Chikamoto's.

"Maybe you shouldn't have started so soon, I mean, your brother has been awake longer than you and has been able to come to terms with pretty much everything. You just woke up, things have changed, and you still can't accept everyone but your brother is gone."

"No, I need to get back on my feet. One time I was in a slump for a while, I couldn't get out of it, and then Jesse woke me up out of it… He's not here to do that now." Mrs. Chikamoto said firmly, although tearfully.

Zula grabbed me roughly and dragged me towards the second route to our next class.

"I have a theory!" She sang once out of hearing range.

"Oh, come on, Zula! Why do you have to turn one person's misery into a fairy tale?"

"'Cause it's fun!" She grinned.

I rolled my eyes.

"So, here it is. The night your mom left, she went out for a simple errand, something you just don't tell everyone about. She got in an accident that involved some close relatives and she and her brother were the only survivors, but they were both in a coma. Her brother woke up a while before her and was able to cope with everything after a while and then she just woke up and didn't think you'd guys would still be around." She explained excitedly.

I shook my head. "Then why would Tori know about it?"

"Maybe she's a friend of her brother, or maybe she knows someone who works at the hospital."

"Zula, just let it rest. My mom left us and she's not ever coming back, nor would she be welcomed if she did." I snapped.

"Sorry, but just think about, 'kay? I mean your dad never showed you a picture of her, so you never know." She shrugged and entered the room before me.

I gave her the silent treatment for the entire period, she knew my mom was a touchy subject, and when the teacher instructed us to get in partners in order to analyze an article, she attempted to pair up with me per the norm, but I quickly turned to Flip, who sat next to me, and made it clear he was my partner. Flip was overjoyed, Zula… not so much.

"Come on! I said I was sorry!" Zula complained on our way to Dueling Ed in the gym.

"You know my mom is a touchy subject." I grumbled.

"You know, it's like you don't even really want to know who she is." She said it in a way that made it sound like she couldn't believe anyone wouldn't want to know something.

"Oh really? I guess I didn't make that clear enough." I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes at the same time.

"Seriously girl, please forgive me. I swear I'm sorry and we'll go to the usual place after school so I can prove it." She begged.

"Crow's Cavern?"

"Yep."

"An ultimate ice cream parfait?"

"In the largest size possible."

I pause as if thinking.

"Fine, I forgive you. Just don't mention my mom or make up fairy tales involving her again." I warned.

"It's a deal."

"You know, I can't believe that place is still around." I commeneted.

"Crow's Cavern?"

"Yeah, its original founder was Crow Hogan himself. He made it later in his life as another way of making kids happy. He loved kids and taking care of them you know. He and most of his close friends were orphans and he didn't want to any other kids growing up like they had to."

"You're more of a history nerd than I thought, Chidori." Zula commented.

"Indeed, that was some quite impressive knowledge, Ms. Chidori." A firm voice commented. I turned to see Mrs. Chikamoto walking alongside us.

"How long have you been there?" Zula asked, startled.

"Not long."

"Where are you headed?" I asked.

"The gym. I want to see what dueling is like in modern times. I've only read and studied ancient duels, as far as back as Egyptian times, but I've never witnessed a modern one." She explained.

"You've never seen a real duel?" Zual gasped. "But that is nearly impossible! You can't walk five feet without seeing a duel in progress."

"I've seen plenty real duels, videos and films and recordings of duels from older times, and I've participated in many duels myself, but I have not been a spectator of any modern duels."

"What's your win loss ratio?" Zula asked.

"I don't know. I never kept track." With that we reached the gym and where we left for the center of the gym, she went to the spectator stands.

We were a few duels in when our duel instructor noticed our one member audience.

"I didn't know new teachers were so interested in watching students duel." He commented.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Our other new teacher, Mr. Fukumo, came in last period and watched as well. I offered him to duel a couple of my brightest in that period, he accepted, and he beat them with the ease of a pro. His deck was really ancient though. He literally had no Xyz monsters."

"Well, that's his sister, sir. She's my first period teacher, Mrs. Chikamoto."

He nodded and then shouted at Mrs. Chikamoto, "Mrs. Chikamoto, how about you come down and participate in a duel? Your brother did and he was spectacular."

She looked at us and away from the current duel, startled, but quickly smoothed herself out. "I'd love to, but in all honesty, I really shouldn't."

"Oh come on, why not?"

"Simply because I shouldn't."

For someone who shouldn't, she looked like she really wanted to.

"Oh come on, Mrs. Chikamoto!" I called out. "I want to see some of that ancient dueling you've been studying!"

At my request she seemed to crumble.

"Very well." She submitted and started her way towards us.

"Chidori, you're my best pupil, you duel her." My instructor instructed me.

"Alright." I agreed and I began to shuffle through my deck. Mrs. Chikamoto pulled hers from inside a coat pocket, and an old fashioned, probably Trubo Dueling era, dueling disk somehow appeared on her wrist.

She stepped into the dueling field, surprised to see me to do the same.

"Chidori?"

"Surprised teach? I'm one of the best duelers at this academy. Good luck taking me down."

"Let's duel!" We cried in sync.

"I'll start!" I claimed.

"That's fine with me. I like it when my opponent goes first." She smiled. There was a hunger in her eyes, as if she needed to duel to live.

It was over faster than any duel I had witnessed, with my ending up with a sore rump. For an old dueling disk and set of cards, her monsters appeared life-like, their feet, er, paws… ah, whatever, even touched the ground. A few times I felt a realistic breeze as the claws of her monsters came in for direct attacks. It was amazing. I even found out how ancient her deck really is. One of her cards Toon Summoned Skull, a card that came from the Original Dueling era. A card that was believed that my ancestor, Nastumi Calico, had the last one and it disappeared along with her body.

"Very masterful, Mrs. Chikamoto, especially for such old cards and disk. I feared they wouldn't connect to our system." My instructor complimented.

"Thank you, Mr. … "

"Mr. Hiro Himura."

"Thank you, Mr. Himura."

"You know, I think there may have actually been a technical difficulty, just not a major one." He commented.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Your monsters never once touched her. I mean, not physically, but the hologram never appeared to touch her." He looked at me while rubbing his chin. His eyes widened in concern. "Chidori, how did you get that scratch?"

"What scratch?"

He pointed to his cheek, and I lifted my hand to mine as if he were my reflection. My cheek was a little wet and when I pulled my hand away, I saw blood. There wasn't a whole lot, but the scratch was obviously fresh.

"I-I don't know…"

I looked up at the teachers to find only one. Mrs. Chikamoto had disappeared.


End file.
